‘I’m hot footballer who starred on Vogue – fans chase me down the street’
Meet Cho Gue-sung – South Korea’s answer to David Beckham.
The striker has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past two years – but the impact of the 2022 World Cup was beyond anything he could have possibly imagined. Cho, originally a defensive midfielder, came to the Korean national team’s attention after getting promoted to the K League while still undergoing his obligatory military service.
His improved physicality earned him selection for Qatar, where he was thrown into a whole new stratosphere of attention. He only played 16 minutes as a substitute in South Korea’s opener against Uruguay – but that was enough for the 6ft2in forward to go viral.
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Shots of Cho immediately began circulating on social media as a result of his blatant attractiveness. Even seemingly mundane pictures of him sitting on the sidelines and warming up sent his army of adoring new fans into a frenzy.
His Instagram following surged from 20,000 prior to the tournament to around 1.6million during, and a peak of 2.7m afterwards – but not because of the two goals he netted against Ghana in the second group stage game. He had attained something few sportspeople are capable of – becoming a sex symbol.
His sharp cheekbones made him a sought-after commodity in the fashion world, becoming just the fifth man and the second sportsperson ever to appear on Vogue Korea’s cover – shirtless, of course. That skyrocketed his stardom even further, attending Louis Vuitton’s show in January among the plethora of other high profile events.
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In September, he sparked a lengthy debate by rocking cornrows in true Beckham fashion. Yet the 25-year-old insists he has taken it all in his stride, telling The Athletic: “There have been so many changes in the last year but I have enjoyed them.”
The furore has even followed him to Europe, something which became evident when he visited the UK to play some fixtures with the national team in September.
“Since I became more famous, many people have recognised me,” he said. “People were even recognising me when I travelled to London with the national team – that was really surprising."
Cho added: “When I am back in Korea, I wear a hat and a mask but people still recognise me. One time, people started chasing me down the street. That was crazy.”
All of that – and being voted the second-most desirable male Korean – hasn’t stopped his progress on the pitch. Cho, who scored 13 goals for Gimcheon Sangmu last season, reportedly received interest from the likes of Leicester City, Watford and Celtic, but opted to join Danish side Midtjylland for £2.6million in July.
Explaining his decision, Cho said there were “many offers on the table” and that too much media attention wasn’t a factor. Instead, he based it on where he was more likely to start every match.
The forward’s decision has paid off, having scored eight goals in 16 Danish Superliga appearances this season. And he continues to be picked for his country, where he has a further eight goals in 30 caps.
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